Candle of the day?

I know I'm not the only candle enthusiast here, and I can't think of a more appropriate forum to post my thoughts on the random candles I burn all the time. So I figured I might as well try to start a thread and see if anyone would join me...

We all put so much thought into our perfumes - what do the candles we're burning smell like???

I'll kick it off with a fun one:

Today, I burned DiptyqueLa Belle.

It's the "Beauty" half of their La Belle et la Bête (the beauty and the beast) set.

Smelling up close, I mostly smelled coriander (which has kind of a watered-down berry smell to it) with some green in the background (apparently geranium). The smell it threw around the room, though, was more of a lemony tea smell that reminded me of Heeley's Verveine, which is a verbena scent. There was something creamy and honeyed about it, too - it wasn't as watery as I'm making it sound. It was quite nice, and bright and fresh enough to be appropriate for warm weather.

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Yesterday I finished off the last of another Diptyque, my much-loved Epicea.

Epicea, a former Christmas limited edition that's now available as a mini candle, is described as "The scent of leaves, pine resin and wet birch bark mingle with rising wisps of vetiver, cedar and sandalwood." This is pretty spot-on as a description. It's VERY woody, like a warm evergreen forest, complete with the dirt underfoot. I can pick out the subtle vetiver, and I'm pretty sure there's a lethal dose of Iso E Super in here, too. The closest perfume comparison I can make is CDG's Incense: Jaisalmer, with its burnt evergreen smell, but Epicea is less burnt and more green.

Would I buy another one? Possibly, but their Cypress candle is really calling out to me, so I'll probably buy that one first. Really, with no offense intended to their wonderful florals, the deep, smoky wood and resinous incense scents are what Diptyque does best in their candles. It strikes me as odd that they have yet to put out a perfume in this style, because they're so good at them...

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Wow - this thread has 100 views and no one's saying anything... Hopefully someone will have something to add soon.

Today's candle was Malin + GoetzNeroli.

I really don't think this smells even a tiny bit like neroli. It's actually more of a sweet artificial citrus (like those little packets of Crystal Light citrus-flavored powder you pour into a bottle of water). It has that same sort of mixed citrus + chemicals + sacharine smell to it. Oddly, this synthetic weirdness is paired with a rather buttery indolic floral of some kind, which makes for a really odd combination of nature and chemicals.

But it actually does smell good. Realistically, if this were a perfume, I'd hate it, but it kind of works as a candle. The combination of heady floral and synthetic citrus makes for the kind of smell that either comes really cheap or or really expensive, depending on whether how much artfulness it's intended to have.

This came as part of a set, and I wouldn't have bought it on its own, but I kind of like it. For a hot day when you just want something sweet and pleasant, it's fine.

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Today I'm enjoying another Malin + Goetz, Cannabis.

Not surprisingly, this smells absolutely nothing like marijuana (which I'm sure is a good thing...). Instead, it's a pleasant stew of black pepper and lemony orange citrus, with just a pinch of something green in the background. There's a hint of patchouli in there, too, when smelled really close, but the overall impression is mostly spicy citrus. It kind of reminds me of L'Artisan's Ananas Fizz, but just the bright peppery topnotes, before the rum kicks in.

I got this one in a sample pack, and would likely not purchase a big one when I use this up, but it's nice. I like it better than their misguided Neroli candle, but I'm not particularly infatuated. But if you like fresh citrus scents with a dark edge to them (and you can get passed the silly drug-related marketing), Cannabis could be worth checking out.

"...put on clothes that are well-scented with incense. Even if you’re somewhere where no one special will see you, you still feel a heady sense of pleasure inside." Things that make your heart beat fast (translated by Meredith McKinney), Sei Shonagon. The Pillow Book.

"The sunset is deeper and longer. The scent of the jasmine is stronger." Miracles. Pet Shop Boys

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Miller Harris Bois Sucre today ~ sweet winter berries, fig, cardamom and osmanthus with a base of Moroccan cedar, Paraguayan guaiac and vanilla.
I'm burning it in my bedroom instead of the living room because it just doesn't have enough throw to fill a large space.

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Today's candle has been By Kilian Cruel Intentions: Oud du Laos.

A rather dirty oud. It's mostly just that (oud) with a lightly berry-ish sweetness and possibly a tiny pinch of rose. And I'd bet the farm that there's civet in here. Not only does it have that surprisingly fecal quality, but it has that creamy, luxurious depth you get with civet, too. While I hate to wear civet scents as perfumes (no Jicky for me!), it works better than I would have thought in an oud candle.

Really, if you don't know and like oud, this candle would probably be way too much. To the vast majority of the people in this world, this would smell simply nasty. But I guess I'm that little niche that thinks it's brilliant.

That being said, my oud candle of choice is still Diptyque's notorious Feu de Bois (which is actually largely oud), which is more like a forest or soil than the straight-up fecal oud.

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This evening, I'm being confused by D.L. & Co's Modern Alchemy: Tincture of Winchester.

In theory, this is supposed to smell like an antique gun, a mix of burnished wood, metal, gunpowder, and smoke. To my nose, it's a confusing sort of bright pseudo-citrus, with a sweet sort of chemical metal smell in there. I have no idea what gunpowder smells like - maybe that's what this is. I can detect a pinch of woody amber (which smells more like chlorine or hot metal than wood or amber), as well as what I think is probably Iso E Super. But the star of the show is that mix of fake citrus and mystery chemical.

It's actually pretty nice, as candles go, but it has almost no throw compared to the others I've burned lately, so I doubt I'll pick up another one of these (I actually only bought this thanks to an after-Christmas 75%-off sale at a local fancy store). That being said, with a better name and a big-label push behind it, this could make a really interesting mens designer fragrance release...

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Cire Trudon Abd El Kader

A wind of freedom coming all at once from the Mascara coast and down from the mountains bringing in its foolish race the green scents of fresh mint, the rashness of fights, the hot and peppered air of ginger and the perfume of tea and tobacco from the Ouled Nail tribe...

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Chassagne Montrachet, I'm jealous of your Cire Trudon! I like many of the scents, but I haven't bought one yet, partly because they're kind of expensive, and also because they're so big that I always wonder if they ever really melt all the way across (I have a Tom Ford that has this problem).

Today, I'm enjoying DiptyqueMiel de Callune.

I have to admit that I only bought this because it was a Christmas special, very deeply discounted long after Christmas a year or so ago. However, despite my lack of excitement, this has turned out to be one of my favorites.

Miel de Callune is a honey scent, lightly woody and somewhat gourmand. If you can imagine a mix that's about 70% woodsy honey and 30% Guerlain's Spirituese Double Vanile, that should give you a good idea of how this smells. The throw is good (like pretty much all the Diptyques I've tried). But the thing that made me fall for it was consistently leaving and returning to the room where it was burning, and subconsciously thinking "wow - someone's baking something delicious... Oh, wait. It's that candle."

It was officially a limited edition, but these still turn up around town. Even if it's not love at first sniff, do think about picking one up if you see it, especially if it's discounted. You can thank me later...

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Today I'm using a Kale & Watercress candle from MOR Cosmetics.

It's pretty much as advertised - green, leafy, and vegetal, but with a definite sweet aspect to it, too. If this were a Diptyque, it would have that astringent waxy bitterness you get from kale, but it's a MOR, who are less artsy and more crowd-pleasing, so it's perfectly happy as a sweet leafy green grassy mixture that smells great on a hot day.

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Today, thanks to a rather nice clearance sale at Neimans, I'm enjoying a new Belle FleurKyara Clove candle.

This one's interesting. It's a mixture of cloves and oud over sandalwood. I've never smelled a mix quite like this, but it's quite effective. I'd be curious to try a perfume with this combination. Oddly though, when it's burning, a really deep, dark chocolate comes through, overtaking the sandalwood but still playing against the oud and clove. It's nice and weirdly gourmand, but with that intoxicating meditational effect you get from oud, all spiced up with the cloves. It's a nice one, but probably not for everyone (hence my being able to find it on clearance...)

Sad side-note: The wick seems to be mismatched with the wide width of the candle. The first time I burned it, it took a good 8 hours (no kidding) to finally liquify all the way across. Tonight is my second time trying it, and the flame is so low that it's never going to melt all the way across. It's a pity when companies put so much work into their scents and their packaging but then screw it all up by cheaping out on the wick.

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Muji Fig
A green and fresh fig scent, that fills our small bedroom even when not lit (esp. when the sun shines on it an melts the wax). I love its sleek and clean design made from recycled glass.
I would buy it again, or in another scent from muji, had it not been that we bought this at the local stores closing down sale.

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Is anyone familiar with the candles that the Le Labo guys made for Le Meridien? I am dying to smell it.

Here's a description:

Le Méridien invites you to personally experience LM01, a custom scent developed for Le Méridien by Fabrice Penot and Edouard Roschi, members of our creative community, LM100™, scent visionaries, and founders of Le Labo.

LM01 Scent blends fragrances of frankincense, iris absolute, musk - while earthy notes vibrate around the central theme of cedar wood to create a round and enveloping scent that embodies the spirit of Le Méridien.

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I'm probably in the minority, but I don't like scented candles very much. I think I've cleaned up too many wax spills in my lifetime, and I really don't like the smell of melting/burning wax. I'd much rather burn some good incense.

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It's been a little while, but yesterday I burned D.L. & Co.Thorn Apple.

This is basically as advertised, a very realistic green, tart, sweet pink apple. It's very much the smell of the real thing. When it's burning, there's a deeper creamy gourmand aspect in the background, which might actually be the smell of the wax itself - I'm not sure...

Sadly though, It simply refuses to burn all the way across. I actually have the smaller size of this (not the big 3-wick one in the photo). Another nice candle ruined by technical inadequacy. Thank goodness I got this at a 1/2-off sale...

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I like the Votivo Deep Clover, which I think actually smells more like oranges than clover...

Today I'm using a mini Bond No. 9The Scent Of Peace candle.

This is my first try of a Bond No. 9 candle. It's just a votive size, but it's concentrated enough to fill my large room with scent.

The smell is pretty much a perfect match for the topnotes of The Scent Of Peace perfume. It's officially grapefruit mixed with cassis, but it comes off kind of grapey, like a more modern take on Dior's famous Poison. The cassis has that slight dark grossness that it can have sometimes, but they play that up against violet leaf, which gives the whole thing a feel similar to what you'd get if you put Poison's grape soda topnote over the heart of Green Irish Tweed.

I can't imagine paying full price for a regular-sized one of these, but I'll enjoy the votive when I'm craving something easy and fruity.

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I got to smell cocktail of peonies by Creed and i have to say it smells sooooooooooo gooood. It has to be the best candle I have ever smelled, it has a sweet floral smell to it. I might have to get it later on ,I have silver mountain water candle which is wonderful as well.

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Today at work, my co-worker and I have been enjoying Mariage FrèresThè Dansant.

I and many of my coworkers are utterly hooked on Mariage Frères' excellent perfumed teas (they have quite the cult following in the SF foodie scene) and we were excited when I finally ran across their candles while on vacation. The one I bought for myself (and, by extension, the office) was Thè Dansant, based on green tea and fruit.

It pretty much fits it's description, smelling like a mix of green tea, lemon (maybe verbena), and fruity coriander. The scent it throws around the room is more orangey than lemon, paired with the berry-ish coriander. It's by no means the most intricate scent I've smelled, but it's very pleasant and the folks in the office like it.

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Today I'm using Delirium & Co.Sweet Tobacco.

I don't really smell any tobacco in here. Instead it's a sort of green smell with an almost citric brightness. There's a hint of woodiness in the background, but it's really more sweet and bright than green and woody. It's nice, but similar to other candles I've smelled. It doesn't really have the haute parfmery depth you get from Diptyque or some of the more "artsy" brands, but it works well for just making the room smell good.